I am not nice, but I am honest and that is more important.

Today I’m Not Talking About Guns

Because I’m deep in research for another post about guns in America for later in the week. Neither am I talking about race or feminism. I’m not up to having a debate today. It’s all I’ve been doing, in person and on social media since Friday. I’m tired. I need a brain break.

Today I’m going to talk about talking and why it matters.

When you write and talk about issues you consider important every day, you can reach a level of mental fatigue fairly quickly. Spending a good portion of your time listening to, trying to understand and refuting the opposing view point takes a lot of energy. By the way, if you’re not expending that energy to listen and try to understand then you’re just shouting memes at the other person and I’m not talking to you. You’re not playing on the same level as the rest of us. Real debate or even discussion requires both actions.

Sometimes we just can’t anymore, those of us who engage in serious conversations about serious issues, regularly. We need to take a moment, or a day to recharge. That’s when it comes time for those people who normally avoid anything that remotely resembles debate or discussion that could possibly be considered controversial or discomfiting, to step up.

We can’t do all the work all the time. Sometimes you have to take the hit. Learn to have the debate, learn to win the debate. Learn to drill down to the core argument and refute it. Learn these things because the only thing that serves to change society for the better is a large group of people working toward that goal.

On the internet, silence is assent. The same is true of group social situations. If you don’t speak up you lend weight to bullshit points of view. I don’t care how uncomfortable it might be. People are dying. It’s time for everyone to take responsibility and speak out. Otherwise you’re allowing yourself to be made part of the problem.